Conventionally, personal electronic devices include housings and a plurality of electronic components disposed thereon and therein. Screw or screw-like fasteners offer a relatively strong and durable form of fastening one or more portions of the housings together, as well as fastening the electronic components therein and thereon.
However, if considering the overall cosmetic appearance of personal electronic devices, sleeker and streamlined housings may be more appealing under a plurality of circumstances. Conventional approaches to offering sleeker and more streamlined housings may include countersunk screw holes, cosmetic labeling or obscuring films to hide fasteners, glue or adhesive and snap-together construction techniques, or combinations of a variety of approaches.
Generally, snap-together construction techniques may result in a less durable housing subject to damage if dropped. Furthermore, cosmetic labeling and opaque films may wear down, peel off, or otherwise impinge cosmetic quality and appearance. Moreover, repair or rework of faulty or damaged devices utilizing these techniques may introduce more damage or cosmetic blemishes, for example by leaving unsightly labeling residue, adhesive residue, or breaking of tabs/slots used in snap-together construction.
Therefore, what is needed are improvements in device housings that overcome these and other drawbacks.